I Never Planned On Falling In Love With You
by makemusicnothorcruxes
Summary: Rosie never wanted a baby, and she definitely never wanted Marco, but then her world crumbles as she loses them both.
1. Chapter 1

Rosie stood at the window of the food truck, taking customer's orders one by one. Tonight they were parked at an open air movie showing of Dirty Dancing. Couples with their picnic rugs dotted the grassy hill in front of the food truck line. Rosie could just see the screen and the sound carried far enough that she could vaguely hear it over the din of the crowd.

_Me? I'm scared of everything. I'm scared of what I saw, I'm scared of what I did, of who I am, and most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life the way I feel when I'm with you_.

Rosie screwed up her face at how cheesy the movie was, and how pathetic the main character seemed. She wasn't a romantic – she'd take Die Hard over Dirty Dancing any day. Rosie firmly believed that love wasn't like the movies made out at all. It was messier and a lot harder work. It wasn't all lame quotes that supposedly made hearts melt and raunchy sex scenes. It was much simpler to steer clear of the entire situation in Rosie's mind. The single life was uncomplicated, and she liked it. She handed a cream cheese bagel down to the customer she was serving and went to take the order from the woman behind them.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" a voice interrupted. When Rosie looked up she noticed it was Marco, the chef from the food van across from hers.

"There's a line if you want to order." She pointed the back of the queue with an impatient glance at him before returning to cutting ingredients. The line was long so she didn't have time to deal with him right now.

"The only thing I'm ordering is for you stop serving bacon. Okay, pig's our turf."

"Oh my God, your turf?" Rosie scoffed. "Is this West Side Story? Are we gonna rumble at midnight?"

"You know what, maybe. I got a whole gang of back up dancers just waiting to go"

"Oh wow." She couldn't believe the nerve of Marco. What was his problem?

"Okay you're the cheese truck, so stick to cheese."

"Can I order now?" The woman at the front of the queue interjected impatiently but was quickly cut off again by Marco as he physically moved between her and the window.

"No, just give me one second, please!"

"That's funny, because I noticed that those jalapeño fritters that you guys are serving?" Rosie began to say.

"Are awesome, right? They're my invention, I made them."

"They have ricotta cheese in them," she finished and began to taunt him immaturely by making faces at him.

"Oh come on it's like a little bit of cheese. It's nothing compared to the bacon crutch you're propping these sandwiches up on." Marco retorted equally as childishly.

"They're paninis. They are grilled peach and blue cheese paninis with a DASH of bacon. Also awesome, also my invention." She turned to the back of the truck in the hopes that Marco would leave her the hell alone, but instead he walked around to the side door and continued to talk.

"Alright you wanna go? Let's go. Your special against my special, whoever sells the most tonight wins."

"Fine." Rosie snapped.

"Fine. Alright, if I win you have to have a drink with me. And if you win you may have three drinks with me."

Rosie shook her head in a combination of annoyance and amusement. "That's cute, so you can stand me up again? No thank you."

"That was like, five years ago. But that's sweet that you still remember that, I'm impressed Rosie. I'll see you in the field, alright." Having issued his challenge, Marco started to walk back towards his own truck.

"It doesn't keep me up nights!" Rosie assured him as she leant out the window to call after him.

" Sure!"

"Who's that?" Rosie's co-worker, Alexia, asked.

"This guy from high school. Total player." Rosie replied, taking a sip from her water bottle. Her tone of voice did not even try to hide the distain she had for Marco.

"I'd play with that," Alexia mused as she watched Marco retreating to his truck.

"Ew don't be gross, don't be that girl." Rosie screwed the lid onto her bottle and set it down on the bench before hurrying back to work. She wasn't about to let Marco show her up, so she had a bet to win.

After the last of the crowd had gone home, Rosie marched over to Marco's truck with a fistful of notes. They'd sold $249 worth of their paninis and Rosie was confident that there was no way Marco could have beaten her. She climbed up into the truck without waiting to be invited in and spread the takings onto the bench top like a hand of poker cards.

"Read them and weep, Marco."

A grin spread over Marco's face as he turned to the cash register. When he turned back around he was holding a wad of cash, much bigger than Rosie's pile had been. He didn't even have to say anything, Rosie knew he had beaten her. She angrily snatched up the money from the bench and jumped down from the truck.  
"I'll keep up my end of the bet because I'm a woman of my word. But don't think this changes anything between us Marco – I still hate you." She turned and stormed back towards her truck, leaving Marco smirking as he watched her walk away.

Ten minutes later, the food truck was finally clean and ready for transport. Rosie shut the back doors and banged on them twice to let Alexia know she was good to go. As the truck pulled away, Marco appeared from behind it. A grin spread over his face.

"I win." He held up four beers which he held in both his hands; three for Rosie for losing the bet, and one for him.

"Shut up," Rosie hissed and punched him in the arm. She grabbed a drink from him and took a sip immediately. "Okay let's get this over with."


	2. Chapter 2

Rosie leant back against the cool grass, supporting herself with her elbows. Two of her three drinks were gone and she could feel the alcohol starting to take effect. She hadn't had lunch that day so it wasn't going to take much to get her drunk. Marco and Rosie were reminiscing about high school, when Rosie grabbed the opportunity to ask why he'd ditched her at their prom for another girl.  
"Still bothers you, huh Rosie? In my defence I didn't know you were going to get mad," Marco explained.

"Well uh, what'd you think was gonna happen?" Rosie shot back at him with a shake of her head.  
"Well I asked you to prom first, alright, and then you said 'maybe' so I decided to ask someone else."  
"No, I didn't—"  
"Yes you did, so I asked someone else, then you said yes. So I tried to take you both, what's so wrong about that?" Marco laughed, fully understanding the problem with that situation now, though seventeen year old Marco had not been as smart. Rosie didn't say anything, just stared at him incredulously. "Well I'm not saying it worked."  
"Fine, I blocked out most of high school anyway." She raised her beer and took another drink. It was then that Marco noticed the bandage on her wrist that she'd tried to hide with a bandana.

"Hey where'd you get this guy?" he asked, pointing at her wrist with concern.

"Mhmm," she swallowed her mouthful of beer, "I fought a grill and the grill won."

"Why'd you fight the grill? It always wins. Chef hands, occupational hazard!"  
"Yeah guys love it though."

"Do they?" Marco teased with a shake of his head.

"Guys love burned hands."

"Yeah, check this out," Marco showed her a scar on his forearm and boasted that it had required five stitches. Rosie was unimpressed and called it adorable in a patronising manner. She held up her hand so he could see it.

"Look a deli slicer nearly took my whole thumb off!"

"Uhh, alright, second degree burn making carmels." It had become a game. Both were trying to prove they'd suffered the biggest injury. They were too competitive for their own good.

"Your own fault. That's—homemade is the best though so good for you for trying."

"Never again, never again." Marco assured her.

"Julienning shallots." Rosie pointed out a faint white scar that spanned four of the knuckles on her right hand.  
"Oh julienning shallots? 'Cause Julianne, ex-girlfriend, right there. She got me," He tugged his shirt and tapped the mark on his collarbone where he'd been hit by the CD case his ex-girlfriend had thrown at him.

"Julianne, I see what you did there." Rosie laughed, acknowledging the joke. "It's good, really good. Whoever she was you probably deserved it."

"What? You're so mean. Are you always this mean?" Marco asked her in a mock-sad voice.

"Always," Rosie confirmed with a smirk.

"Is that your, is that your gift? Always?" Marco locked eyes with Rosie and slowly trailed off. Her blue eyes glinted in the pale light, and drew him in closer. His face was inches from hers and he suddenly had an overwhelming urge to know what her lips tasted like. Rosie looked back at him wide-eyed, wondering almost the exact same thing.

"Okaaaay, okay trouble. I'm gonna go." Rosie said awkwardly after what felt like an eternity, breaking their eye contact. She got to her feet and dusted off some rogue pieces of grass. Marco stood too.

"You're gonna go?"

"I'm gonna go." She was already walking towards her car, towards her escape route. She could tell where tonight was going and she didn't want to start down that treacherous slope. She wouldn't let herself fall for Marco, not again. "It's been super real."

"Where do you think you're going? I mean it's been great catching up with you." He followed her back towards her car, wanting to convince her not to go.  
"Yes, uhhh…" Rosie spun around and extended her hand for him to shake. An awkward gesture but Marco took her hand anyway.

"Woah, formal handshake. Good to see you. Maybe I'll, y'know, see you on the truck line again some time." He moved closer with every word and she backed away nodding until she was pushed up against her car.  
"Yeah."  
He dropped her hand and slid his hands onto her waist, pulling her hips closer to his.

"Your hands are on my waist," she pointed out in alarm. She couldn't back away, she had nowhere to go.

"They are on your waist, aren't they? How did they find themselves there? I don't know." His face was now just inches from hers, so she could feel his warm breath on her neck. The sensation gave her goose bumps and made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.  
"This is really awkward because well, if you don't try to stop me I'm going to try to kiss you in a second, okay?" Marco whispered. Rosie bit her lip and tried to think of something else, anything else, but her body couldn't fight the excitement it was feeling. She didn't want to want this but her own body was betraying her with every tremble and sigh. Marco reached up and tangled his hand in her hair. While he caressed the side of her cheek with his thumb he leaned in to kiss her. Their foreheads met and Rosie couldn't help but smile, which Marco returned before finally letting their lips touch. His kisses were soft and wonderful but Rosie craved more. She threw her hands around his neck and he followed suit by letting his hands wonder down her back. They pulled each other closer, kissing harder and deeper each time. Their bodies entwined and before they knew it, hands were flying everywhere.  
"This is me getting in my car," Rosie breathed against his lips which refused to release hers.  
"This is me waving goodbye," he whispered back between kisses.

Rosie let out a short gasp as he lifted her up onto the bonnet of the car. She wrapped her legs around his middle and pulled him in close to her. She craved the feeling of his body against hers as she lay back against the smooth, orange surface of the car. Her car alarm began to sound, blaring short, sharp sounds into the dark night. Rosie fumbled in her pocket for the keys to turn it off, a task which was made incredibly difficult by the fact that Marco was on top of her.  
"Here, let me help," Marco laughed and slowly undid the button on her shorts. As he did he kissed her bare midriff which sent shivers down her spine. He tugged the zip and pulled her shorts down, they caught awkwardly on her heels but it was only a moment before he had them in his hands. He reached into the pocket with one hand and grabbed the keys. The alarm stopped and the only sound to be heard was their heavy panting and the soft thud of their bodies against the car. Marco's other hand was slowly lifting up Rosie's shirt, stopping momentarily when he reached the two soft mounds the material clung to so seductively.  
"Well this is hardly fair," Rosie moaned as she lay there in just her bra and underwear while Marco was still fully clothed. She turned her attention to undoing his jeans while he slipped his t-shirt off over his head. He pushed her further up onto the car so he had room to climb on top of her. His strong arms held his frame above her, his torso grazing hers and sending electric shocks pulsing through both their bodies. Rosie could feel her body trembling. She wanted this. Hidden deep inside, she'd wanted this for years, but her pride had stopped her from ever letting herself want Marco again. But the alcohol coursing through her veins had stripped her of everything but her bare desires and so there she was, getting exactly what she wanted.

Her heart pounded and all of a sudden she was a teenager again, with Marco at their prom. She remembered how nervous and giddy she'd been that night. She'd been so happy, until Marco slipped away to go to the bathroom. He didn't return for twenty minutes and the drinks Rosie held in her hands for them were getting warm. As she'd scanned the room for her any sign of him she saw Marco, dancing with another girl. He'd tried to make some excuse but Rosie had thrown the drinks in his face and stormed off. That was six years ago but it felt like an entire lifetime. Somehow the frosty reception she'd met Marco with every time she'd seen him since that night was slowly melting away. Just like she had, maybe Marco had grown up too.

"Marco, what if someone sees?" Rosie giggled, suddenly aware of where they were and what they were doing. Marco was in the middle of removing her underwear with his teeth.  
"Don't worry, there's no one around." He moved back up to her breasts and kissed between them, moving his kisses higher and higher up to her neck. She squirmed beneath him as his stubble tickled against her skin. She pushed herself up until they were sitting upright. With her tiny hands she pried his underwear off, letting her hands linger between his thighs a little longer than necessary. Marco reached for his jeans and grabbed a condom out of his pocket; he may have been drunk but he wasn't stupid. Rosie rolled her eyes, of course he had a condom on him at all times. They lay back down against the bonnet. Marco was on all fours above her, his knees astride her hips. Rosie arched her back and pulled him down closer, begging for his touch. He resisted just a little longer until both their body's screamed with anticipation. The muscles in his arms hardened as he lowered himself just enough so that Rosie could feel every ripple of movement in his body. He rubbed soft, small circles over her chest while she let out soft, sweet moans. She almost couldn't take it anymore and when they finally joined as one she let out a cry of pleasure and dug her nails into his back. She buried her face in his neck, and noted how his hair still smelt like the food truck. It gave her an odd sense of familiarity that she really loved. She felt him deep inside of her, felt his strength and yet a sense of gentleness as he brushed away the hair that had fallen across her face. The moonlight was dim but Rosie could just make out his smile as he moved above her. Beads of sweat glistened on his skin and rolled softly off his chest, falling onto her like droplets of rain. With every thrust she felt the pleasure inside her building. Her body trembled beneath him and a feeling of warmth overcame her. The sensation came in rolling waves and she struggled to catch her breath between them. They kept going like this until they just about collapsed from exhaustion. Marco rolled off of Rosie and lay beside her.

"Ow, you're on my hair," she laughed and shoved him away from her. He kissed her to apologise. They lay side by side in silence, savouring the moment and the way their bodies seemed to have moulded to fit each other perfectly. Rosie traced light swirls on his chest as it moved in and out rapidly. His breaths eventually began to slow, as did hers. She was suddenly aware of how tired she was. A whole day on her feet and then a night on well, her back had completely knocked her flat. It didn't help that the alcohol worked like a warm blanket so she was content lying just in Marco's arms. She could have fallen asleep then and there, but it was late and she needed to get home. Wriggling out of Marco's hold she slid off of the bonnet and began to collect their clothes which were thrown all over the place in their excitement. Soon they were dressed again, and the only tell-tale signs of their actions were the grass stains on their clothes and Rosie's messy hair. She did her best to smooth it out with her hands but it had always had a mind of its own.

Marco drove Rosie's car home. Her house wasn't far from his so he could ride his bike from there. When he dropped her off they stayed by the car, lingering for one last kiss, then going back for another.  
"I had fun tonight, Rosie," Marco whispered for fear of waking anybody. "Maybe we could do it again sometime?"  
Rosie pulled away as he said it. "I don't know. Next time I probably won't be drunk, so I think this was a one time kind of thing." She stood on her tiptoes to plant one last kiss squarely on his lips. It was simple, no tongue and no lip biting. Nothing like the passionate kisses they'd shared earlier. It was more like a goodnight kiss, and Marco could tell it also meant goodbye. He watched as Rosie stumbled up the stairs, her shoes in her hand clunking against the railing. Once he saw she was safely inside he picked up his bike from where it rested against the fence and rode off into the night, the bitter-sweet taste of Rosie's lips still gracing his.

Rosie tried to be quiet as she entered the house but ultimately there was no point. No sooner had she stepped inside when the lamp beside the couch switched on and Molly and Courtney turned around.  
"Where've you been, you little minx?" Molly demanded.

"It's 2am and your shift ended hours ago" Courtney elaborated with a giggle. The two girls looked at each other, then to Rosie and back again, beaming grins forming on their faces.  
"You come home drunk,"

"Shoes in hand,"

"You can't wipe the smile off of your face,"

"And is that grass in your hair?"

"YOU GOT LAID!" they finished together.  
"Now 'fess up!" Courtney cried, jumping over the couch and pulling Rosie around to take a seat. Reluctantly Rosie let herself be dragged to the couch by her roommate and prepared herself for an interrogation. She was still pretty drunk so she knew she'd be very honest with her answers but it also meant she didn't really care.  
"So a guy finally braved the cobwebs, huh?" Molly asked, perching her arm on her leg and resting her head on it so she could look at Rosie.

"Hey, it hasn't been that long!" Rosie retorted, folding her arms across her chest.

"Ro, can you even remember the last time you had any action of that nature?" Courtney winked, making a thrusting motion with her pelvis. Rosie sighed, they had a point, it had been awhile.  
"Fine! His name's Marco and he's pretty cute. But this was a one night only kind of show, he's not my boyfriend or anything. I don't even like him," Rosie spilled to the eager audience she had on either side of her on the couch.

"Was it good?"  
"So good." Rosie sighed, and leant back against the plush cushions of the couch. She could remember every little detail of the night and just the thought sent shivers down her spine. She'd forgotten how good sex felt.  
"So, is it gonna happen again?" Molly questioned.  
"God no! Marco's gross. If he hadn't gotten me drunk it wouldn't even have happened tonight. I don't even like him," Rosie reiterated, making a face to express her disgust.  
Courtney just laughed. "You keep telling yourself that, Ro." She leant forward to look at Molly "She's totally smitten." The two girls collapsed into fits of giggles as Rosie tried her best to protest.


	3. Chapter 3

As Rosie entered the kitchen one morning, bleary-eyed and sluggish, she was met with two impossibly awake roommates.

"Wow, Ro, you look like shit." Molly greeted her bluntly.  
"Yeah are you feeling alright?" Courtney asked with more compassion. "You look a litt-"

Without warning, Rosie's stomach lurched and she bolted for the toilet. Her roommates followed, finding her crouched over the bowl, one hand on the ground to balance herself and the other holding her messy bed hair out of the way of any rogue vomit. Courtney quickly gathered Rosie's hair into a ponytail and slipped a hair tie from around her wrist to fasten it.

"Maybe it was the Chinese we ate last night – your noodles did look a little off" Molly suggested.

At the mention of food, Rosie's stomach upheaved more of last night's dinner into the toilet bowl. Courtney and Molly left her in peace, partly with the selfish agenda of wanting to get away from the smell. It was ten minutes before Rosie could be sure she wasn't going to throw up again. She stood slowly and dusted off her knees which throbbed a little from resting on the hard tiles so long. She washed her hands thoroughly in the basin before searching for a washcloth to wipe her mouth. The top draw held all of Rosie's things and she yanked it open. The sudden force caused a box of tampons to fall over in the draw. Realisation dawned in Rosie's mind as she quickly counted the dates in her head. Her period was two weeks late and she'd slept with Marco just over three weeks ago. _Fuck_, Rosie thought to herself, the panic beginning to set in. She couldn't be pregnant with Marco's baby, no way. They'd been careful, used protection and everything. Fishing out a washcloth, Rosie wiped her face with cold water. If she was pregnant, there was only one way to find out.

The store was a short walk from their place, and the cool morning air felt nice against Rosie's skin. It wasn't yet cold enough for a jacket but the air had a crispness that was missing during the warmer months. The corner store was small but towards the back was an entire aisle of condoms and pregnancy tests. A large advertising sign for a brand of condoms was hung above both products reading: "Use one of these to avoid needing one of these!" with arrows pointing first to the boxes of condoms then to the pregnancy tests.

"Yeah right," Rosie scoffed to herself. Staring at the brightly coloured boxes stacked high above her head, Rosie felt increasingly uncomfortable. She shoved two different boxes into the basket she'd picked up on the way in. She didn't need anything else but she didn't want to purchase just the pregnancy tests so she made her way down the cereal aisle on her way to the checkout and randomly grabbed a box. It didn't really disguise the real reason she'd come into the store but it made her feel a little less awkward. At any rate, the box of cereal hid the tests from view of any nosy customers. Rosie stood in the shortest line at the registers and patiently waited for her turn. When it came, a pimply-faced teenager processed her purchase. He was discreet and despite only having three things, he placed the products into a shopping bag for Rosie. Rosie thanked him and handed him a handful of notes and change.

Hurrying out of the store, she practically ran back towards the house. Her stomach had settled a little bit and her colour had returned to normal as Courtney commented when she walked inside. She sat at the kitchen bench, having been trapped in conversation with Molly and Courtney. The shopping bag practically burned in her hands as she held it beneath the bench out of sight. She finally found a polite way to excuse herself from the kitchen and locked herself in the bathroom. She ripped open the first box with trembling hands. Rosie unwrapped the test and stuck it between her legs as she squatted over the toilet seat. She felt so undignified – hadn't somebody figured out a better way to do this yet? Women always said how romantic and magical it was to find out you were pregnant, but in reality it was nothing like that. Not to Rosie, anyway. Once the stick had been peed on, she placed it on top of the closed laundry hamper. With the gross part over, all that was left to do was wait. Rosie's nerves intensified with every passing second. She wasn't ready for a baby. She wasn't even ready for Marco. He drove her insane – she didn't even like him. And now one alcohol-fuelled mistake could tie them together for life. Alcohol really should come with an escape clause, a way to erase anything stupid done while under its influence, Rosie thought. She wished somebody had told her how much drinking could impair your judgement. Okay, so her parents had, but she wished she'd actually listened. The buzzing of her phone alarm made her jump. Time was up. With shaking hands she pinched the stick between her thumb and forefinger, not wanting to touch it any more than she had to. She bit her lip and tried to force her eyes to look down. It was harder than she thought. In a split second her life could change forever, if she didn't look down then she could keep on pretending she wasn't pregnant, right? Rosie knew it didn't really work that way but it was still an enticing option. She finally forced her mind to tell her eyes to look down at the result. Two pink lines were clearly visible. Clutching to a last glimmer of hope Rosie picked up the box to see if she'd made a mistake in remembering the symbols. No, two lines meant pregnant.  
"Shit" she sighed, tossing the box back down onto the laundry hamper with such carelessness that it bounced off of the edge and wedged between the hamper and the wall. She gripped the basin, having suddenly felt very lightheaded. This couldn't be happening. It was a nightmare and she was going to wake up any second, she had to.

A knock at the door and the voices of her disgruntled roommates penetrated the silence, snapping Rosie from her thoughts. She splashed some water on her face and threw the test into the bin, throwing some toilet paper in after to cover it. In her haste she forgot about the box that had fallen behind the laundry hamper.

She wrenched open the door and threw up her hands in frustration, "two seconds, that's all I wanted" she snapped and pushed past Molly and Courtney. She was going to be late for work if she didn't leave now anyway so she raced to her room to change.  
"Woah what's her problem, I thought she got laid?" Molly asked, entering the bathroom.  
"I don't know," Courtney replied as she followed her and moved to the basin to brush her teeth.

Molly rifled through the laundry hamper, finally pulling out a purple bra from near the bottom of the pile.

"Damn, it's dirty."

She needed her lucky bra for a job interview but she'd forgotten it hadn't been washed. Sighing, she put the bra back on the pile, flipped the lid down and picked up the basket. The pregnancy test box which had been wedged behind it fell to the floor with a soft thud.

"Oh my God," Courtney exclaimed with toothpaste absentmindedly running down onto her shirt. "Should we talk to her?"

The front door slammed, signifying that Rosie had left for work. Whatever they decided to do with this explosive new piece of information, it would have to wait.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a week since Rosie had taken the pregnancy test. She'd had an ultrasound which confirmed she was about four weeks pregnant, not that there was any confusion about that though. In terms of possible dates of conception there was only one. One stupid night with a stupid boy, and now her life could change forever. She hadn't seen Marco since that night either. He'd tried to catch her at work but she'd avoided him. She'd put off talking to him, hoping that nature would take care of things. Things like that happened all the time early in a pregnancy, Rosie had heard; a little blood, and then no baby and no reason to tell Marco anything at all. But with every passing day, the secret she carried grew heavier. When she thought about it too much it felt like it was crushing her lungs and she couldn't breathe. So she picked up her phone and texted Marco, asking him to meet her on their break that afternoon.

"So we're talking now?" Marco asked when Rosie joined him out the front of the vans.  
"Marco, shut up. I'm pregnant."  
She hadn't meant to blurt it out like that but she'd panicked. She sat down on the edge of the garden bed and awkwardly waited for Marco to respond. There was a long pause of shocked silence.  
"Well, um, okay… are you sure you took the test right?"  
"You pee on a stick, it's idiot-proof" Rosie told him, shrugging her shoulders, a little annoyed at his ignorance.  
"No, I know it is. Just… one time," he scratched his head and paced back and forth. Internally he was freaking out and on the outside he wasn't exactly doing a good job at hiding it.  
"Yep," Rosie confirmed, wishing Marco would hurry up and say something that helped. She still hadn't decided what she wanted to do. She knew her options, and every single one seemed too overwhelming, so she'd shut them out of her mind without ever really thinking about them. For days she'd clung to the idea that when she told Marco he would have an answer that would solve everything. That he'd say something and suddenly everything would become clear to Rosie, but right now her thoughts were more tangled than ever.  
"So, what do you want to do?" Marco asked her at a loss for what else to say.  
"I don't know," Rosie admitted truthfully. "What do you want to do?"  
Marco sighed and sat down beside her. "Look I- I don't know, I just found out, okay? You're the girl, don't you get to decide?"  
"Great, great, then it's all on me?" Rosie snapped at him. The decision was too big for her to make alone, yet because biology determined she carried the baby, the guy got to shake off all responsibility? That was bullshit. She wasn't letting Marco pin this on her. If it wasn't for him, she wouldn't be in this mess. He was the one who'd made that stupid bet meaning she had to have drinks with him.  
"No I, no I didn't mean…" Marco paused for a second, completely clueless as to how to fix the situation. "Shit… should we get married?"  
"Shit should we get married? Yeah." Rosie mocked him angrily. "No it's just when you put it like that, that's—"  
"Oh, well I'm sorry, Rosie, I'm just trying to do the right thing here. I didn't mean to-"  
"Then don't ask the wrong questions!" Rosie said in frustration, getting to her feet. She wanted to scream at him, but the bustling city centre probably wasn't the place to do it. "I, just um, forget that I said anything..."  
"No!" Marco interrupted forcefully, standing up.  
"…Just forget it because I'll figure it out. Like whatever it is, it's not your problem, so…"  
"Rosie!" Marco called after her as she backed away.  
"It's fine, I have to get back to the truck anyway!" she said and turned away from him. She walked briskly back towards the food truck, tears threatening to fall. Marco wanted to follow her but an angry voice stopped him.  
"You gonna get back here and help or what?" his partner called from the truck where a line of at least ten waited less than patiently. Marco swore at himself and jogged back towards his truck.

Rosie's mind was absent for the rest of her shift. She handed customers the wrong orders and snapped at Alexia when she'd tried to ask what was wrong. She couldn't concentrate on anything but the idea of the growing child inside of her. It felt like a ticking time bomb – she'd never been so terrified in her entire life. She'd foolishly thought talking to Marco would give her an answer but she was still lost. She wished Marco had just said outright whether he wanted to keep the baby or not. A simple answer, yes or no, but Rosie knew the situation wasn't just black and white like that. She wasn't ready for a child, but she wasn't ready to make any irreversible decisions either.

Finally the end of the day arrived, much to both Rosie's and Alexia's relief. As the truck pulled away, Rosie caught sight of Marco wheeling his bike towards her. "I'm not going to forget about it."  
Rosie drew a deep breath. He'd had the chance to leave, the chance to walk away and he hadn't taken it. He'd stayed. Maybe she'd been wrong about him.  
"Okay," was all she could manage to say but he didn't need to hear anything else anyway. They walked in silence to Rosie's car where he chucked his bike into the back and climbed into the passenger seat.

They said nothing as they drove through the darkening streets. Rosie had the music turned up loud which Marco took as a sign that she wasn't ready to talk just yet. Instead he occupied himself by thumbing through her CD collection – he couldn't deny it, the girl had taste. Before he knew it, Rosie was pulling over to the side of the road in front of the small brick house. Once inside Rosie introduced him to her housemates, Molly and Courtney.  
"I thought you said cute Marco, not hot Marco!" the one named Molly demanded. Her brown eyes rested on Rosie expectantly who acted like she hadn't heard the question.  
"You said I was cute?" Marco smiled, more to himself than to the others.

Rosie led him into the bedroom and sat down on her bed. Marco waited awkwardly by the door until she invited him to do the same. Rosie kicked off her shoes and tucked her legs beneath her while Marco perched awkwardly on the edge of the bed. Though words swirled in both of their heads, neither quite knew how to start the conversation. Rosie figured it was her responsibility, since the issue they needed to talk about resided in her body.  
"So," she began, distracting herself by fiddling with a loose string hanging off of her shirt. "I guess we should talk about this. Right now, what are you thinking? Don't censor it, just give it to me straight."  
"Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't freaked out, Rosie. I didn't wake up this morning expecting to be having this conversation today. But I meant it when I said I won't forget. Whatever you decide, and it should be your decision because well, you know..."  
Rosie nodded. She did know what he meant but that didn't mean she wanted this decision pinned on her. "I don't know, Marco. Every time I think about keeping the baby, I just don't think I can go through with it. I mean, it's a baby. We can't just bring it into the world if we're not ready for it. I don't think I even want it. One day maybe, but not now."  
"So do you want to, I don't know, get an abortion?" Marco dared to ask.  
"No!" Rosie cried, the force of her reply shocking even herself.  
"Jesus Christ, Rosie, I thought that was what you wanted to hear. I don't know what I'm doing either, you know."  
"I know. I thought it was what I wanted but hearing you actually say it, no. I couldn't do it. We're not some stupid teenagers in high school, we've both got good jobs. We made a dumb mistake but how can we punish a baby for that? We knew what we were doing." What she didn't add was that she didn't necessarily mean she wanted the baby, just that she didn't want to be the one to blame for the baby not getting to be born.  
"Okay, okay," Marco said as he searched for the words to say next. "This probably isn't a decision we can make in a night. What if we just take it day by day and if you decide you can't do it any more, or you change your mind, then we can talk about this again?"  
Rosie knew Marco was right. The conversation had been going around in circles. Maybe it wasn't a decision that could be pinned down and put into words.  
"If it makes a difference, I think we can do this. If you want to," Marco told her quietly.  
"Do you think so?" Rosie questioned, not at all confident in her maternal abilities. Marco squeezed her hand in reassurance. He didn't dare speak in case the truth showed through in his voice. The truth was he was terrified, but he knew Rosie was even more afraid. Right now she needed somebody to be sure of the situation because he could tell she still felt lost and alone.

Marco yawned, "I should probably go. You can call me if you need anything." He stood and grabbed his bag.  
"Do you want to stay the night?" Rosie asked, "Not like that, that's what got us into this whole mess. Just you don't have to leave, you know, if you don't want to." She trailed off towards the end of the sentence until her voice was just a mumble.  
"Do you want me to stay?" Marco asked, letting his bag drop to the floor. A nod was the only sign he got from Rosie, but he could appreciate how hard it was for her to admit that she needed him there. He sat back down onto the bed and they eased back into conversation. Words flowed much easier between them now and before long Rosie was yawning too. The clock beside the bed showed 1am.  
"We should probably sleep." Marco said. "I'll make up the couch and sleep there." He moved the covers back and went to stand up.  
"It's late, just stay here." Rosie invited, pulling the covers back up. Marco lay down and the pair were asleep within minutes.


End file.
